After six months of planning, Sarah and Reece exchanged vows in a beautiful garden ceremony before partying the night away under twinkling fairy lights. Sarah tells us about their special day…

Reece and I met on Hinge at the tail end of the 100-day Covid lockdown in Auckland. This was during level 3 when you could go for walks and get takeaway coffees. After matching and talking online we met and walked up Mt Eden then got a coffee and sat in a nearby park. From then we did more walks, picnics in parks and beaches until lockdown was over. It just all seemed like the perfect timing!

Within six months we had moved in together, and another six months later we were engaged. When you know you know! On a holiday in Fiji, Reece organised a local to take us on a boat to a small private island, where we spent a lovely afternoon on the beach, and this is where he asked the question.

Another six months later and it was time for our wedding. We woke up to a beautiful day, it was warm and sunny to our relief, after all the flooding and rain in Auckland. I got ready with my bridesmaids and my mum. It was a really special morning, so much fun getting our makeup done and drinking Champagne. Reece went to the driving range with his groomsmen and then got ready at the venue.

We chose black tie, so our guests had the opportunity to dress up and look glam. My dress was from the Made with Love bridal collection, I couldn't decide between two dresses, so I combined them and came up with the one I ended up wearing! Reece hired his suit from Rembrandt. He looked so handsome!

We both wanted a classic look, timeless but fun, almost like a summer in Spain/Italy type vibe. Our exclusive venue was a beautifully restored Spanish Mission homestead with immaculate lawns, garden terraces, ponds, exotic plants and trees. Being lovers of the outdoors, we held our ceremony in the garden, hiring two plinths with large floral arrangements. We kept our ceremony minimalistic and relaxed - it was perfect.

Reece and I love music. For the ceremony we chose 'XO' by John Mayer for the bridesmaids to walk down to. My song was 'I Love You Always Forever' by Donna Lewis. We didn't want anything too soppy, we wanted something a bit more upbeat, and, again, the key word for the day - fun!

Afterwards, the bridal party went for photos and our guests enjoyed lawn games and a cocktail hour. Belle nailed our brief with the photography, perfectly capturing the fun, romance and party atmosphere of our big day, and our deep connection to our family and friends.

I changed my hair from being up to out half way through and I was really happy that I did, as I loved having photos with my hair out as well.

Some of our favourite moments were shooting our bridal party photos in the Whiskey Room at Puketutu Estate.

Our reception was in the marquee onsite and we had hired fairy lights which created a magical, fairytale vibe as the sun went down. Highlights for us were the wonderful speeches from friends and family. Lots of laughs and a tear or two.

I choreographed a special dance to a mix of Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley and I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) by Four Tops. Reece and I practiced it intensely for six weeks leading up to our wedding. We had some rather stressful rehearsals lol, as this was Reece’s first dance experience, and in public too! We performed it together at the reception and he was great. Our guests loved it!